


Morning Moments

by foodie2468



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-20
Updated: 2013-08-20
Packaged: 2017-12-24 03:14:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/934640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foodie2468/pseuds/foodie2468
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hope has an early morning</p>
            </blockquote>





	Morning Moments

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all. This is my first foray into this fandom, so please be gentle. :)

_A sharp gasp slipped from her lips as a warm mouth tasted the subtle curve of her belly. A wet tongue gently teased the defined muscles. Small hands, coaxingly firm, spread across her hips, thumbs brushing the smooth skin in undecipherable patterns._

_Blinking, her own hands desperately grasped for leverage, blindly seeking a tether to keep her grounded in the here and now and not let her drift off into the oblivion of emotions and dreams. Her fingers dug into the sheets, bunching the material into a fist. Her breath caught as a trail of kisses traced over her ribs and toward her chest. Needing control, needing to hold on to that last vestige of clarity slowly disappearing over the edge of vulnerability, she tangled her hand in silky locks and rolled her hips, silently urging her lover to take her spot._

_Tender breaths swept across her chest and throat as a loving voice murmured in her ear, “Let me love you.”_

Hope’s eyes snapped open. 

Her heart was pounding, body tense and shirt sticky with cold sweat. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, lungs feeling as if she just finished sprinting and diving after a near goal. She swallowed thickly and licked her lips. The room was still dark, only the faintest of lights swirling in from the early morning sky. The world wasn’t awake yet. She took a deep breath, ordering her heart to calm down and body to relax. The only sounds in the room were her labored breathing and the soft pitter patter of a light rain shower against the roof and windows. 

Turning, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her head fell into her hands as she took another breath. 

It was a dream. 

A memory. 

A nightmare. 

A sweet sweet nightmare that haunted her when she least expected it. Rising to her feet, she padded out of the bedroom and to the kitchen. Coffee. She needed coffee. Needed to clear her mind of the memories her mind saw fit to remember so vividly. 

Fingers fumbled with the coffee machine, and she tried to concentrate on the sound of the falling rain and the upcoming day ahead. There were no practices or matches to worry about. No training to take her mind off of the recent string of troubles that’d plagued her once again. Her mouth twisted sardonically at the thought. Troubles. Her whole life was nothing more than a string of troubles. This time, it was her team’s inability to win. That, and more personal matters the media and public somehow luckily still didn’t know about. Like how her bed was empty on one side. 

Only one person ever made her forget about the never-ending parade of heartache and headache. Made her believe, if only for a second, that good could happen and stick around. 

Hope firmly shook her head, banishing that idea.  That was long ago. Over. Done. She shouldn’t even be thinking about it anymore. It was another lifetime. Nothing more. A brief space of time that ended, and she’d moved on. Forgotten about it. Hell, it simply proved she was right all along – good things never lasted. Happy Endings were for storybooks and movies. Not real life. Not her life. 

Hope never was above telling a lie. 

She leaned against the counter as the coffee slowly brewed. She pushed her hair away from her face and stared out into the woods surrounding her home. Beautiful. A view worth waking up to every morning. 

_The sunlight streamed in, illuminating the sleeping face. Each freckle seemed to glow, tussled hair gleaming like a siren’s call. The sheets pooled around her waist, revealing creamy flesh dotted with freckles and marks from their late night together. She couldn’t help but watch her sleep. Watch the way her nose scrunched up adorably as she dreamed. Relish in the way the younger woman curled up in her arms, face only peaceful when she was cocooned in the keeper’s embrace._

Hope violently pushed away from the counter, roughly cursing at herself. She needed to stop thinking about this. There were things she needed to do today. Errands. Grocery shopping. Post Office. She needed to think about that. 

Not about her. 

_“Don’t do this, Hope.”_

_Hope kept her back to her lover, shoving the last few items into her carryon._

_“Will you just stop? Look at me!”_

_“I have to go. My flight leaves in an hour.”_

_“And you’re one to not want to miss a flight, right?” sarcastically shot back._

_Hope pursed her lips, both at the pain in the voice and the way this girl…this woman…knew her so well. “The Reign need me to…”_

_“Stop!” shouted painfully. “Just…stop. I need you.” The voice choked out, “And you need me.”_

_“I don’t need anyone.” She defiantly zipped up her bag. “You knew this wasn’t going to last.”_

_“Bullshit.”_

_Hope closed her eyes for a moment, willing herself to stay strong. To do what had to be done._

_“Don’t do this now. Don’t…try to be badass Hope Solo, the one who is all alone and likes it that way. Because we both know it’s not true. You can put up those stupid walls you think you need, but I know you, Hope. I know you, and this isn’t what you want.”_

_“What I want is to get in the cab that’s been waiting downstairs for ten minutes and go home.”_

_“You are home.”_

_Clenching her jaw at the flutter those words evoked in her stomach, Hope lifted her bag and set it on the floor, pulling up the handle. Hardening her gaze, she spun to face her partner. Her resolve threatened to crack at the emotion fraught gaze that connected with her blue eyes._

_“You’re scared. You’re running away, and I’m not going to let you.”_

_“I am not scared.” Hope barked. “God, get over yourself. This was nothing more than a fling, Kelley. A way to pass the time. I’m sorry you got invested, but it meant nothing.” Lies._

_Kelley stared at her, clearly not believing her, “It meant nothing?”_

_Hope rolled her eyes. “I knew you’d be like this. Too young to understand what it means to just fuck someone. That’s all we did. We fucked. We got together when we were free and had sex.”_

_“I’m not a little kid, Hope. I’m not some…rookie you need to train for the backline anymore. I know the difference between fuck buddies and a relationship. We are in a relationship.”_

_She had to remain aloof. Collected. “I don’t have time for this.”_

_“Make time.”_

_“It’s over, Kelley. We’re done. What’s so difficult about that?”_

_Kelley stepped toward her, tears ready to fall, “What’s so difficult about letting me love you?”_

The harsh shrill of her ringtone pierced the quiet, jolting Hope out of the once familiar yet now foreign bedroom and back to her kitchen, where the coffee was ready and the rain was beginning to recede. Rubbing her face, she wordlessly went to where her phone was charging back in the bedroom. Picking it up, her brows furrowed at the screen. She ignored the sound of nails on hardwood – Leo was up – and bit her bottom lip. 

It was a text from Carli. 

Her heart stopped. 

Kelley was having surgery. 

Tomorrow. 

Hope knew Kelley was injured. Was out for much of the NWSL season. 

She didn’t know it’d gotten this bad. 

A wave of guilt and remorse crashed into her. She should have known. Kelley was hurting, was in the hospital, and in that moment Hope’s chest squeezed like an invisible iron grip had grabbed on and wouldn’t let go. Kelley, her Kelley, the rambunctious energetic squirrel, was going through what Hope had numerous times – injury, surgery, rehab. It was a way of life for athletes, almost expected at such a high level, but Hope secretly wished for Kelley to never know what it was like to be laid up in a bed, not able to be with their teammates or play when it came time for matches. To be the odd one out. To not know if your body would respond the way you needed it to. 

To be hurting. 

One lie she could never quite get herself to believe – it didn’t matter if Kelley O’Hara was in pain. 

Through all the fake smiles and bullshit, Carli never believed it either. 

Did Kelley? 

In a split second, Hope made a decision. 

Her plane ticket was booked within minutes.


End file.
